3.5 "enjoyable, educational, plot driven" stars !!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Amazon Crossing for an e-copy. I am providing my honest review. The original Spanish version was released in 2019. This English version was released in August 2021.

First of all I want to acknowledge that I enjoyed this book to a four star degree. The author very deftly is able to entertain and teach the reader a great deal of recent history in Venezuela with the rise, reign and demise of Hugo Chavez. This is presented in a clear and epic fashion and the author's interpretation of events is fascinating, grand and sweeping. In the background we have the manipulations of the CIA, Fidel Castro, master criminals, corrupt generals and even the Mossad. The story is told through the points of view of both an American and Cuban spy and their various friends, lovers, allies and enemies. This made for a riveting and enticing read.

The prose is rather middling and the romantic aspects are very Harlequin or telenovela which I feel detracted a moderate amount from what was a really interesting and exciting historical fiction (more than espionage).

Well worth my time and the enjoyment and knowledge gleaned were excellent.

I have read about 1/3 of this novel and decided to DNF it. Moises Naim's writing is way too journalistic. To use the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez as a main character and call him "Hugo" for most of it, seems as misplaced as writing about other historical characters and call them Leonid, Helmut or Francois. Naim's book did not engage at all which is why I turned it down. (https://youtu.be/XmGraj1fNHw)

A great read for lovers of thrills and secrets. The characters in this novel are very well written. You can feel getting to know them as they build these fictitious lives to advance the agendas for their respective governments while slowly inching closer and closer to the bitter end while dancing the dangerous dance of falling in love while on assignment. I enjoyed every twist and turn of this story, the way their jobs and goals bringing their true feelings and identities precariously to the surface for their enemies to see. Thanks go to Amazon Crossings and NetGalley for this advanced proof for review.

“Mao says power grows out of the barrel of a gun, and he’s right! Democracy is a bourgeois farce,” said Fidel, threateningly. “Power is exercised entirely or lost completely. A true leader does not consult, he commands.”

Venezuela, 1992. Unknown colonel Hugo Chávez stages an ill-fated coup against a corrupt government, igniting the passions of Venezuela’s poor and catapulting the oil-rich country to international attention. For two rival spies are hurriedly dispatched to Caracas—one from the CIA and the other from Fidel Castro’s Cuba—this is a career-defining mission. Two Spies in Caracas is a fictionalized account of the coup, the powers that backed it and those that opposed it.

Naím’s novel was set during an interesting era in Venezuela’s history that I knew little about. I love historical fiction for that reason, and it’s hard for me to turn down a spy thriller, but this book was nothing special, despite the well-pitched synopsis. The author writes primarily nonfiction books and articles and, in this case anyway, was not a natural fiction writer. The dialogue was clumsy and inauthentic, likely more the fault of the translator than the author. For example, would President Carlos Andrés Pérez have actually said, “You hear what I’m saying” or use the term “gonna” instead of “going to” in 1992 Venezuela? I don’t think so. It sounded more like a Mafia goombah speaking.

It was fascinating, however, to learn about Chavez, his Bolivarian Ideology, and his time in the spotlight. The first half of the book was slow, but the pace picked up as it went along. 3.5 stars.

Two Spies In Caracas by Moisés Naím is as intriguing as the synopsis made it sound. It is a thrilling tale of espionage and politics. I enjoy the fact that this is based in reality while immersing the reader in a thrilling, fictional plot. It kept me hooked from page one.

Fast-paced, it’s hard to set this one down. It is clear the research was meticulous, because of how realistic it felt.

I have never been to Venezuela, but I was able to imagine myself there. This author knows how to captivate an audience and transport them inside the story.

I enjoyed the mix of made up characters and characters who were based on real-life people. It kept the story entertaining, while settling it into reality. The love triangle was intriguing and the characters were solid.

I enjoyed this one. Don’t miss out!

Rating:

4/5☆

Thank you to Over The River PR for the review copy and the opportunity to honestly review this book on the blog tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.

Two Spies in Caracas by Moisés Naím and translated by Daniel Hahn (out 8/1)!

I’m kicking off the new month with a review of a book I finished last night. Two Spies in Caracas is outside my usual genres, but this political thriller and historical fiction novel sounded really interesting, so I gave it a go!

I enjoy learning while I read, and I learned so much about Venezuela’s history while reading this book. It was especially interesting to see how Hugo Chavez’s speeches and charisma persuaded and encouraged his followers and continued the government corruption.

I liked the spy aspect of this book, but that story line didn’t really pick up until the end. I just wish there was more!

I have been ruminating on this review for a while now talking about my thoughts with my son at breakfast and carrying them around with me.
This political spy thriller/ historical fiction was deeply personal for me. I lived in Caracas, Venezuela till 1991 and even though I was only 14 turning 15 when we moved away it has shaped me. This book took me down memory lane especially since Hugo Chavez’ coup, democratic rise to power and his administration and it’s fallout until today with his successor Maduro have been a topic of discussion at my parent’s dining table just as they are at ours, suffice to say I am not an objective bystander but I have been reading Venezuelan current events during all those years that the book cover and in my view Moises Naim does it exceptionally well. As he should as a former contributing editor to The Atlantic and prize winning journalist. With an eye for all sorts of issues, the real poverty in Venezuela before Chavez, the corrupt government of an oil rich country, the hopes and expectations of many but also the extreme narcissism of a populist leader. It would be hard to fit all issues touched in this little post but the book sent me to google and YouTube and I learned additional tidbits and it was simply wonderful to revisit the Caracas of my past with this book. The continuation of the Cold War spy thriller part featuring a CIA spy and her Cuban counterpart did seem realistic and well plotted given Venezuela’s proximity and natural resources.

It was a little hard to enjoy this as a light fun spy thriller-y read for me since it reminded me of the sad demise of a country I left. I am still happy to see a book about Venezuela.

Thank you to NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review !

What a great idea for a book - Venezuela and Castro and Chavez and the power and partnership in meeting each other’s needs as leaders. I love learning and found this book compelling and fascinating. While I appreciate the fictitious characters throughout, at times the dialogue seemed forced and out of place, disjointed (Perhaps a translation issue)? This book clipped along and left me wanting to know more. Thanks to Amazon Crossing for the copy. I’m grateful.

Two Spies in Caracas is a compelling tale of espionage and love wrapped up inside a debut political thriller by Venezuelan journalist Moises Naím. It serves as a stark warning about growing populist pressures and a reminder of the volatile socialist Bolivarian revolution led by Venezuelan army colonel Hugo Chávez that still impacts the country and wider region to this day. After an unsuccessful coup d’etat in 1992, political prisoner Chávez managed to win the 1998 election and become president taking a once-rich democracy through to a dictatorship on the very brink of collapse. The coup took the world by surprise, drawing the attention of Fidel Castro who posited that Chávez could be a viable asset and economic partner; the United States had its eyes drawn to the area too as it grew increasingly more concerned with the present political situation and regional instability of the country located on the northern coast of South America.

After Chávez’s sudden rise to power, he finds the country imploding and whereas he resides in luxury behind the walls of the presidential palace, for most ordinary citizens, life has become a perpetual struggle for food, medicine and electricity and against the riptide of violence, a large percentage of which is state-sponsored in nature. The regime that had once been the gold standard and had held the hope of the people on its shoulders had swiftly become its downfall. The country that was once the prosperous model for the whole of Latin America with its democratic and economic stability was a shining example up until it collapsed into anarchy and despotism and became one of the greatest human tragedies of the 21st century. Through the stories of Eva, a CIA spy, and Mauricio, an agent of the Cuban intelligence service, the reader is immersed in an addictive thriller plot that is, at the same time, the chronicle of a reality that, at times, surpasses fiction.

This is a fast-paced, compulsive and enthralling thriller and a work born from two decades of meticulous research exploring the politics of populism and how it fared in the time of Chávez. Set in Venezuela under the charismatic, larger-than-life leader, this steamy spy thriller is a delightful way to visit a fateful and fascinating time in the beautiful, troubled South American country. Some of the characters are made up, like the rival spies and intrepid reporter who end up in a complicated love triangle; some are inspired by real people, like Prán, the mafia boss who runs a successful black-market business out of prison. And then there is Hugo Chávez himself—an unforgettable and intriguing character whom we get to know very well. Known the world over for his articles on politics and power, Naím uses all his experience and knowledge about how authoritarian governments work to write an unputdownable and atmospheric story full of exciting, complex and colourful characters. Highly recommended.

Two Spies in Caracas

I enjoy reading about history and some political history so this book definitely was intriguing and enjoyable for me. It involves an exciting plot line that involves one of history's most dangerous revolutions in Venezuela, and about two rival spies from Washington and the other from Cuba.

The writing was immersive and intense - quite the read I enjoyed.

Having picked up this book because I was intrigued by the concept of a story of two spies -- one American and one Cuban -- in Chavez's Venezuela, skirting around each other, dipping into each other's world either with or without knowing it.

The best part about the book was in providing a portrait of a narcissistic but charismatic leader, of how his desire to live in infamy started unrivaled corruption and brought violence to the people he claimed to love so dearly.

Less successful was the portrayal of 2 spies and the woman both loved - all beautiful, all dedicated, and each of them falling helplessly for each other.

The first third of this book laid out the plot as a thin veneer of telling the backstory of Chavez coming to power and, as a result, the two spies making their way to Caracas.

The writing style and intrigue picked up after that but it did plod on in places and eventually transitioned more into a series of love stories, leaving any trace of spycraft in the thinly disguised background.

That said, the moment of closing the book was satisfying. I grew to enjoy it and the deeper into the story I got, the more frequently I went back to it.

Writing wise this was only two stars for me. I gave an extra star because the author painted great pictures of being in Venezuela, and the story settings. I only finished this book because it was an ARC (thank you NetGalley) and I knew nothing of this piece of history, and I am happy to have finished it for that reason. There were large jumps in time that felt awkward, and something about the character dialogue was just off. I did have to keep reminding myself that this was a fiction book - again a tribute to the author's immense knowledge and experience in the country. In fact, when I learned that this was the author's first fiction book, my discomfort with the book made more sense; I don't feel that this author's transition to fiction is complete yet.

The history behind this book: Two Spies in Caracas if so fascinating. I enjoyed discovering how Hugo Chavez rose to power in Venezuela. A great book for anyone who enjoys political thrillers or revolutionary history, or really history of any kind. Well done!

A compelling book. Tightly written and easy to read. Having lived there was an added bonus by being able to recognize locales, etc.
Put this on your reading list.

Unfortunately another book I couldn't get into even though I'm interested in South America, and thought a spy story would be gripping and well paced. It was neither. The writing dragged and even though I gave it a good 100 pages, I couldn't tell the characters apart. There seemed to be no humanity behind them and I don't mean that they were monstrous humans, just that they acted and spoke and reacted like robots. I'm amazed this isn't the author's first book and that he has had bestsellers before. I really wanted to like this and I'm sorry I didn't. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I have just finished reading Two Spies in Caracas, by Author Moisés Naím.

This political thriller by a bestselling Author is a storyline taking place in Venezuela in the 1900’s. It is about rival spies, political upheaval, love, and power.

It was an enjoyable read for me, and I thought the translation was well. done.

There is so much government corruption, and power changes with an unknown Colonel Hugo Chávez in the limelight, and an ill-fated coup.

The country, which is oil rich, and yet the people very poor.

I would recommend this book as a good read for those enjoying this venue

Thank you to Goodreads, Author Moisés Naím and AmazonCrossing for my advanced copy to read and review.

#TwoSpiesinCaracas #NetGalley

3.5 Stars

I had mixed feeling about this one. It's an entertaining fast-paced thriller, but it deal with a history that affected me directly so it was hard to enjoy it as a light fun read when it reminded me of the sad demise of the country I left. I am still happy to see a book about Venezuela by someone who knows it and doesn't reduce it to a caricature.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reads like a grocery store paperback. It’s like a Wikipedia page on Chavez crossed with Dan Brown and a few sex scenes thrown in... descriptions of women (of course she is lithe) trite and men (so handsome and virile) blah blah. Cristina/Eva and Ivan/Mauricio don’t really come alive. If this was just a profile of Chavez it’d be great! Honestly it’s an easy read and the style is clear and moves things along. Just not into the two title characters at all.

I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Two Spies in Caracas by Moisés Naím
Length: 348 Pages
Genres: Political, Espionage, Fiction
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

I've recently become interested in South America, especially the politics, after becoming obsessed with Netflix's "Narcos" (Pablo Escobar even gets a small shout-out in the beginning of this novel), and I just thought this would be a perfect choice. Unfortunately, this was a very middle of the road book for me, and I think some of the blame is on the synopsis. It promised an exciting dynamic between two spies - one for the CIA, the other for Cuba - that might turn into a dangerous romance, hinted at by the cover, all against the backdrop of Hugo Chávez's rise to power. But this book is more a biography of Chávez than anything else, with our spies taking the role of window dressing. It is not until about 60% in that they actually talk to one another, and then at about 82% they finally kiss, falling into an unbelievable whirlwind romance where neither cares that the other is a spy for the enemy.

I've given this book 3 stars, just because I found much of Hugo's life so fascinating - from his belief in Santería, and brash, womanizing ways, to his exhuming of Simón Bolívar's body, partly to gather a bone to put on a pendant. Naím is an award-winning journalist and I think that is painfully obvious. He's a fine writer, just not a novelist.

Two Spies in Caracas, by Moisés Naím, to be published on 01 Aug 2021.

Before reading this book, there were two and only two things I knew about Venezuela. The first was that the country is the home to the Angel Falls, which I'd go and see if I happened to be in Venezuela, but which I wouldn't go to Venezuela to see. The second was that it was ruled for about fifteen years about Hugo Chávez, who was much despised by the Americans. 

Venezuela has oil - lots of it - and this put the country in a tug of war between the US and - as I learnt in this book - Cuba. The book opens with two spies, one each from the US and Cuba, who are dispatched to Venezuela on Chávez's first coup.

Iván is the Cuban spy. A womaniser and a slick operator, his job is to cement the relationship between Venezuela and Cuba, and to make sure the Americans don't get in the way. Cristina, a former US marine, now with the CIA, is his American counterpart. Her job is to make sure the Cubans are kept at bay. And then, of course, there's Hugo himself and those around him.

The characters we get to know are not really the spies, but the public personas of their cover stories. Cristina starts a new age wellness business, which gives her insight, a contact network, and a genuine friend. Iván runs a fashion business. He shags himself around Caracas, eventually seducing Cristina's best friend, and then meets Cristina herself. And that's when the sparks start to fly.

The central narrative, however, is Hugo Chávez himself. Mercurial, charismatic and insecure, he is a man of massive sexual appetites. We meet him early on in his military career, and follow him to the end of his life, when he died relatively young of cancer. We also meet the criminal genius, Prán, the power broker behind the regime.

This makes for an entertaining and knowledgeable read. It's not quite history, but the novel's historical roots run deep and there's a strong sense of time and place, of the chaos and conflicts, of the inequity that brought Chávez to power, but also of his inability to do anything other than wield power. We also see how he himself became a slave to power, ultimately unable to bring the freedom he promised.

This, for me, was the strongest part of the book. The corruption in Chávez's Venezuela ran much deeper than paying a few bribes and having a criminal henchman; it was the corruption of democracy itself that shone through, the way in which Chávez convinces himself, or allows to himself to be convinced, to shut down the press, squeeze out other politicians, and to reward areas that vote for him and punish those that don't. 

As a spy novel, however, Two Spies in Caracas is not high on my list. The title of the book suggested a John le Carré style build up of tension. What spy craft there was, however, was not detailed enough to convince. The bag drops, the tedium of waiting, the spies who are forced to trust people they have no reason to trust and every reason to distrust, were absent. 

In short, the spies didn't have to work for their living. The good stuff is served up on a plate. Here's an extract:

`Thanks to my pastor, I understand why I am still alive,' Prán said...

[Cristina] followed her hunch and dove more deeply [yuck! cliché!] into [the pastor] Cash's activities and Prán's relationship to him. ... Audiences with Pastor Cash, incredibly hard to secure for the majority of his followers, were regular for Prán....

[Cristina] requested that her colleagues in the FBI, the DEA and the NSA investigate Juan Cash. .. Behind the dazzling facade of his megachurch was a vast money-laundering operation for drug trafficking. 

Two pages later, she's inveigled herself into this incredibly inaccessible pastor's office, and blackmailed him. It's a fairy-tale spy story, with none of the inter-agency rivalry that would characterise someone from the CIA asking the FBI, DEA and NSA for help. Part of le Carré's brilliance is the texture of of tension he brings, the imminence of things about to go wrong - which they only rarely do - and the isolation and necessary paranoia of the spy. 

On that count, the book fails. There was a build up of tension, but it wasn't the spy craft that delivered it. It was, rather, the delicate dance between two strong-willed protagonists under the gathering storm of Chávez. And, on that count, the book is well worth the read.